CP train derailed near downtown Toronto collided with other train
by The Canadian Press
CP Rail said there were no dangerous goods on board the derailed train, but Transport Minister Marc Garneau said he wants to learn more about the cause of the accident
TORONTO—Part of a Canadian Pacific freight train derailed near downtown Toronto early August 21, but police and railway officials said the incident posed no threat to public safety.
CP Rail said the incident occurred around 5:20 a.m. on Sunday, when a freight train with two locomotives struck another CP freight train.
Toronto police say no injuries were reported and no risk to public safety was posed by the collision.
CP Rail says the collision was the result of human error. The CP Rail police and Transportation Safety Board of Canada are investigating the collision.
CP Rail spokesman Martin Cej said there were no dangerous goods on board the train that derailed. He says there was a small diesel leak after the collision but it was quickly contained and there is no environmental risk from the incident.
But later a spokesman for the Transportation Safety Board, Chris Krepski, told The Canadian Press that there were a small amount of dangerous materials including aerosol containers and non-flammable gases. He said none of the substances leaked.
Cej says the collision was the result of human error.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Sunday it’s regrettable the incident occurred.
He said the federal government has already brought in safety improvements in response to the 2013 train disaster in Lac-Megantic that killed 47 people.
Garneau also said he wants to learn more about what caused Sunday’s collision and if there is need to do more to ensure safety, the government will act.
